Canadian Hols

Sandy

So that would be a "No" then I take it....?

Jim

If only you lived in Hawaii...

Sandy

Last night my wife & I were saying "if only we lived in Canada"!
Just goes to show the grass is greener on the other side.

Colin lorenson

You lived in Comox? I remember a good pub out by the airfield.

My cousin used to live in Courtenay, before moving to Port Coquitlam.

My Aunt and Uncle live on Denman Island.

I agree Cathedral Grove,Tofino, Long Beach on Vancouver island are worth visiting.

Chemainus and it's wall murals are also worth seeing too.

On a wet day in Vancouver, there is the Science museum to visit.

Peter,

I hope we don't see any rain when we are in Vancouver in mid June.


Dave

There are an average of 11.2 days with rain in Vancouver in June.

Link

Dave

Funny you should say that. i recall it being wet when I went ot the Museum of Anthropology, which was very interesting.

If you want wet days, try Seattle.

They sell 365 day rain festival T shirts in Seattle

Peter,

No thanks,hopefully our 5 days in Vancouver will be on the drier side of the month.

Dave

It's sunny right now...

The Museum of Anthropology was robbed last weekend..over 2 million dollars worth of art was stolen.

Sandy

Sandy

quote:

The Museum of Anthropology was robbed last weekend..over 2 million dollars worth of art was stolen

That's one way to (almost?) pay for a reference system!

Jim

That's sad news about the Anthropology museum, considering how much it had to offer.

Dave

Don't worry about the weather, Vancouver is one of the best cities in the world to visit.

It is sad. There were, however, only 15 objects stolen out of the thousands on display. Don't miss it.

Jim

Sandy,

We have hired a car which we collect in Vancouver,not sure whether to go for a Petrol or Deisel. Could you tell me the current price per litre of each.

thanks

Dave

http://www.vancouvergasprices.com/

diesel slightly higher.

Jim is correct, although both are cheaper than in most European countries i suspect...

price of petrol in Canada is about half that in the UK at current exchange rates.

Same goes for hotels and food, where the quality also tends to be better in Canada.

cheers

Don

We need the cheaper gas prices here because our Naim dealers are thousands of miles apart...

Vancouver is nice but has become a pretty expensive city to live with over 70% of peoples income going to pay for housing...

Sandy

Dave,

Take a look at banffgondola.com, it will give you a glimpse of the views from Sulphur Mountain in Banff.

And a look at Skibanff.com (four webcams)will give you a glimpse of the Sunshine Meadows area.

There are also websites for First Nation Glenbow museum and the outdoor museum of recent (Frontier) history (heritagepark.ca)

Cheers

Don

quote:

Originally posted by Sandy8:
We need the cheaper gas prices here because our Naim dealers are thousands of miles apart...
Sandy

So, I am a good customer for Air Canada...

quote:

So, I am a good customer for Air Canada...

or Westjet....
Cheers

Don

Hi Don,

Thanks for the links.
We must try the Banff Gondola, I've added it to our "To Do" list.
I'm quite surprised with the amount of snow that's still about on the lower levels.I think we better pack some more woolies..!

A Question.
I keep reading about the number of bears and and how to keep safe from them.
How much of a problem is this,not so much in the towns ( Bin raids ) but when you are walking in the more remote areas.
We will obviously listen to the advise given locally.

Did you have any close encounter ?

12 days and counting

Dave

You will need bear spray and water filters in addition to your usual backcountry kit.

I mentioned this earlier.

You will be ok at the usual "tourist" spots such as Lake Louise. But at Moraine Lake, there will probably be Bear warnings on the path to some of the nearby lakes and possibly Sentinal pass. Avoid areas with bear warnings.

General advice is to hike in groups of 6 or more, but you often see groups of 2 or 3, even in remote areas. For day hikes, if you stick to the popular, well-worn routes, you should be ok. (these tend to be the more picturesque places as well!) Make plenty of noise, especially when you can't see around the corner.

As a last resort, we carry bear spray. Its only effective at 15' or less, so I am glad I have never felt the need to use it.

I have only had one "bear encounter" (don't count sightings at a distance or from the Jeep). It was at Assiniboine were we met a grizzly and her cub about 100' away. It made one mock charge to about 50'. We waited until bear and cub were on the same side of the trail then walked past at about 70'. My guess is that most people wouldn't count this distance as an encounter. i would, even though I managed to video much of the episode.

Generally I wouldn't worry - keep the camera handy!

Cheers

Don

quote:

I have only had one "bear encounter" (don't count sightings at a distance or from the Jeep).

BTW, when you are driving, stick to the speed limits, the RCMP have radar in many of their patrol cars.

Keep a good look out for wild animals (bears and moose mainly). You often come across a road blockage where someone has seen a bear nearby, so pulled over to take a photo. within minutes there are 20 or 30 cars parked all over the place while everybody else stops for a photo call. Safe from the point of view of a bear attack - but watch the traffic!

Cheers

Don

When in Japser go to Miligne Lake and take the boat ride. It isn't cheap, but it is wonderful. Second only to the Waterton ride (which you will not have time for) The drive is on the way to the Jasper Park Lodge (take the first left after crossing the bridge off of the highway)The drive is about 45 minutes and the Miligne canyon is on the way.

Emerald Lake is magnificent.

I would second the comments about speeding especially in Alberta. The police have been ruthless in their pursuit of ticket revenue.

On the drive to (or from Jasper) there is another hiking spot off of the Bow Valley Parkway called Johnston Canyon. This road runs parallel to the highway.

tw

quote:

Second only to the Waterton ride (which you will not have time for)

Agreed.

When I mentioned Waterton (and Crypt Lake) it was in the context that you had two days to fill at Banff/Calgary. My suggestion allowed for a half day each way, eg Banff to Waterton/Waterton to Calgary with a couple of nights in Waterton (Prince of Wales is nice but slightly pricy). You need a full day in Waterton. I would do the Crypt Lake hike (full day), others just enjoy the trip along the Lake to the USA end of the lake, short walk then back in the boat.

But there are lots of things to do in and around Banff - including Johnson Canyon and the Inkpots (allow half a day), Sulphur Mountain (another half day), and Sunshine Meadows (allow a full day). Calgary could include Glenbow Museum (half day), Heritage Park (half day or full day) or Drumheller (full day)

Only 11 days to go!!

Cheers

Don